I've been trying to find out more about Distance Learning, and which is the best route to take. Right now my situation is a little difficult as far as doing a lot of web searching, and checking out the different colleges because of my location. But I am from America, and when i return i will try to do more research and pick what is best for me. I have specifically read about the top 3 which i can name right now because I cant remember. My main questions have to do with the authenticity of these diplomas, I think they seem pretty authentic but when i tell people What I am trying to do they think I am crazy and that it is all fake. Basically I would like to major in English if possible, If not then I will go for a B.A in Liberal Arts, or something else that interests me. The things I would like to know if some people can give me some information is how do employers few these diploma's? Is it hard to find work? which from amongst the schools with the best feedback for education and low price are the ones i should stick to? What are the prices that i am looking at as far as completing a B.A? Should I also look into taking some of the test's like the clep or the similar one? What is the benefit/disadvantage of these test's? Any general advice anyone can give I appreciate it, thanks John.
John, you have certainly come to the right place for accurate information regarding distance education. The first thing to be aware of is accreditation of an institution. There are two basic types of accreditation which are of importance to most distance learners: national accreditation (typified by the Distance Education and Training Council - DETC), and regional accreditation (Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE); New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC); North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA); Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS); and Western Association of Colleges and Schools (WASC). (1) The regional accreditation agencies accredit both brick-and-mortar campus-based certificates, degrees, and diplomas earned on-campus as well as by various distance learning methodologies, and virtual campus, non-campus-based, certificates, degrees, and diplomas. The national accreditation agency known as DETC only accredits certificate, degrees, and diplomas earned by distance education. A distance education programme which is accredited by any of the aforementioned agencies is legitimate in every sense of the word. The first schools to investigate for your educational pursuits are referred to, on this forum, as the Big 3. These are assessment colleges in the sense that all credit hours can be transferred into their degree programmes with no institutional academic residency requirement. Charter Oak State College Excelsior College Thomas Edison State College Athabasca University, located in Alberta, Canada, offers a 3-year, 90-credit hour Bachelor of General Studies degree with no institutional academic residency requirement. Athabasca University is regionally accredited by WASC and is the only Canadian postsecondary institution accredited by a US regional accreditation agency. There are many schools from which you can take courses to be applied towards your degree. Peruse the forum for plenty of examples. There are a variety of ways to earn college credit (coursework, certifications, prior learning assessment, testing, etc.) If you have no credit hours at this time, you can save on the advisement and annual enrollment fees at the Big 3 by earning most of the credits prior to applying to these schools. Athabasca University, on the other hand, does not charge students an advisement or annual enrollment fee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Financial Aid for Postsecondary Students Accreditation in the United States, Regional and National Institutional Accrediting Agencies, US Department of Education, (http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html)
Acadia University www.acadiau.ca American Military University www.apus.edu Athabasca University www.athabascau.ca Burlington College www.burlington.edu Caldwell College www.caldwell.edu Grand Canyon University www.gcu.edu University of Houston www.uh.edu University of Illinois Springfield www.uis.edu Judson College www.judson.edu University of London www.lon.ac.uk Madurai Kamaraj University www.mkuniversity.org Mary Baldwin College www.mbc.edu Mercy College www.mercy.edu Murdoch University www.murdoch.edu.au National University www.nu.edu University of New England www.une.edu.au University of Pretoria www.up.ac.za Queens University www.queensu.ca Saint Mary of the Woods College www.smwc.edu University of Saskatchewan www.usask.ca Southern New Hampshire University www.snhu.edu Southwestern Adventist University www.swau.edu Stephens College www.stephens.edu Thomas Edison State College www.tesc.edu Thompson Rivers University www.tru.ca Union Institute & University www.tui.edu University of Waterloo www.uwaterloo.edu
re: the view of employers This is changing very rapidly and no general consensus can be drawn. Some employers still look down on all DL programs while others are completely clueless and will accept a diploma mill. Most are somewhere in the middle. The industry seems to matter here. In public school systems and police departments - DL degrees are very common (esp. at the graduate level). In some other industries (law for example), DL degrees are rare at best. Recent academic research (including a study that I'm barely getting started with) seems to indicate that degrees are generally evaluated by employers and academics based on the source and not the delivery method. By that I mean, an online degree from UMass is "better" than a traditional in-the-seat degree from UPhoenix. When the source is equal or nearly equal then the traditional degree wins over the online. This indicates that choice of school is a very important consideration (as it is when picking a traditional program). As more people enter the workforce and succeed with a DL degree, we'll start seeing the bias against DL decline. Every indication is that this will indeed happen within the next ten years as DL programs become more and more common. Most people hear "online degree" and still think "diploma mill" and for that reason I rarely use "internet" or "online" in the explanation. Try telling some people you're going to get an "online degree" and some other people you're going to get a "degree from Florida State extension" and see what the difference in reactions is. Then try using "Master's in International Humanitarian Law from Oxford" (which is taught online) and see the reaction. As you look at the lists of options available to you, you're going to find that there are some truly fine colleges teaching online (Oxford, Harvard, UC Berkeley) and some truly questionable colleges teaching online (I won't name those - others here will); most people immediately think "truly questionable" when you say "online degree" so don't call it that.
Ellis College of the New York Institute of Technology www.nyit.edu also offers a BA in English online.
Thanks for all the help. The thing for me is that most likely i will use the B.A in English to get a job over seas teaching English, along side some certificates for tefl and the likes of this. And Usually you Don't even need a degree but if you have one it helps a lot in terms of the quality of employment and the salary. As for the first post, then i am still a bit confused about the 'top 3' do they offer programs them selves? Or is it basically a means of combining all previous college work into one degree? Financially i would like to try to pay the least for the best education, I have a lot of financially responsibilities in the states, thats why i need to work and do DL. So if someone can give some input on the financial aspect it would be great, thanks again
Undergraduate credit hours can be earned by taking distance education / continuing education courses from the University of North Dakota and Louisiana State University. If you plan carefully most of the general education requirements can be met without writing any examinations, but instead through written assignments. Of course, there are CLEP and DANTES examinations for many general education subjects if you prefer standardized tests over coursework and examinations. You might consider completing an AA or AS degree followed by a BA or BS degree; giving your stepping stone milestones along the way to the BA or BS.
I believe you will find answers to all your questions on the websites of the big 3. If you don't then send an email to the college(s).
Most people complete coursework and/or standardized examinations elsewhere and transfer the credit hours into a degree at one of the Big 3. If you wait until you have amassed a significant number of credit hours before enrolling at a Big 3 (assessment schools versus top ranked school), you save repeatedly paying the annual advisement fee. At the very least try to complete all the general education requirements or the equivalent of an AA / AS degree before applying to the school if an BA / BS is your goal. Mark each completed course off the degree plan; serves as a nice motivator too - just do not obsess over all the to be completed credit hours.
Excelsior does offer some courses. Details here: https://www.excelsior.edu/portal/page?_pageid=57,81554&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL I do not know about TESC and COSC.
Congrats on your decision to return to school. If you have been away from "formal education" for a number of years - I like the idea of testing the waters at a community college first. An AA along the way can serve as a powerful motivator. A word of caution about an AA. If you are working for an AA with transferring to a 4-year school in mind, make sure that the courses you take for the AA will transfer. You can best do this by staying in close contact with the schools you are willing to transfer to. Also, community colleges are generally less expensive then 4-year counterparts. One of the best deals in DL is Clovis Community College: www.clovis.edu. I don't know if you are attending full-time or part-time, but if you are attending part-time, you can take 6 semester hours for the TOTAL of $221 (this includes online course and technology fees.) Best of luck Shawn
CapellaRocks, If I may ask, is it true that your daughter currently takes classes through Clovis CC? $221 (fees included) for 6 semester hours is an awesome deal. Somewhere, I came up with $162 (fees included) for 3 semester hours through Clovis. On behalf of a friend, I wrote to San Juan College (NM) about the non-resident tuition rate of $480 for 12 semester hours advertised on their website. I've yet to receive a response.
Yes, my 14 yr old is enrolled in Intermediate Algebra at Clovis. I am very impressed with the feedback, the course material, and the school staff. Here is the link to Spring Tuition: http://www.clovis.edu/FinancialInfoAid/TuitionFees/index2.asp?Term=Spring In addition to the listed fees, if you go to the e-campus site, there is an additional $50 fee for each online course. This is an awesome deal. Shawn
Charter Oak offers courses. I took a few to complete my degree through them, for upper division topics where there was no comparable exam. -=Steve=-
Thomas Edison State College TESC (www.tesc.edu) is where I am working on my degree. They are not the cheapest, but they do offer convenience and good professors (for the most part). As far as CLEP/Dantes I would definitely look into doing as many of those tests as the school you enroll in allows. Two good prep sites that I have used include Instant Cert and SpeedyPrep. Most colleges will accept CLEP credits, but make sure yours does before you go to the trouble.
Madurai Kamaraj University www.mkuniversity.org Well I do not know if you already know - Madurai Kamaraj University http://www.mkudde.org/nri.php is an Indian university accredited by UGC or the university grants commision. It is not accredited by any of the 6 regional accreditation granting commitees or national accreditation bodies. Therefore although the tuition fee is low(lower than any of the USA or CAnadian universities), you would have to end up evaluating the credits to its American equivalent. There is a proctor site in Merryland in your country which is good - so you dont have to travel to India, but you have to transfer credits thats for sure. If your intention is to get an accredited degree for the cheapest possible deal without knocking at the doors of a degree mill, you may try it. Your entire 3 years of bachelor's degree can be done within $1000!! And masters within $750!
